Animewood
by Scarbourgh
Summary: Anime's must come from somewhere...Animewood. The road to starring in anime does have it's difficulties.Rated PG-P-13 for a language. Reviews apperciated.
1. Welcome

1559 at 1/10/05

1087 words at 12/10/04

849 words on 12/7/04

951 words on 12/6/04(oO)

Disclaimer: No, don't own Nyozeka, know Alice 19th is becoming an anime, or know that Bill Gates has a brother named Bob. I don't own Noel or Kurama either.

_Someday I'm going to be famous. Do I have talent? Well, no.-Celebrity _

Chapter 1

Perhaps if I'd known what I was in for I would have brought more for mental support then a teddy bear with me. I stood in front of the door, hand leaning on the doorbell. Ding-dongs echo through the interior of the Apartment hallway. Nobody answered. I let out an irritated sigh, and sat down and leaned against the doorway, and pulled out the magazine I'd gotten at the train station.

Considering, I wasn't too bad off. I had an apartment, small as it was, with a shared cost with a roommate(at times didn't seem worth it), a tiny acting job, and in the center of Animewood. Believe me, compared to a lot of others, I was really lucky. No more sleeping in bars, or waiter jobs.

Animewood. A place were dreams came true. A place where the stars hang in the sky. At least that's what they say on the bronchus anyway. More like a big town with a lot of anime producers hanging around, and you had to beg on your hands and knees to get a job. But it was worth it to be in an anime.

So they fact that I had left my keys inside, my roommate was out and probably wouldn't be back for hours, and she forgot to leave an emergency key shouldn't be a big deal, right? I still felt pissed.

I was such a bitch.

I opened up the magazine, and began to read the cover story. _Are Kurama and Noel on the verge of a divorce? Hear what a psychic heard in her dream that leads us to believe this possibility._

I read through the article, and the next one, and began on the crossword when help arrived.

"Kami! Is that you? Or are you some gang person here to sell drugs?" A high-pitched voice asked. I looked down to see a girl in a light blue blouse and pink skirt. Her pink hair was tied in two separate ponytails, with a pair of white bunny ears sticking out of the top of her head. Underneath the skirt a pair of white slippers stuck out.

"Nyozeka, the comment on my clothing is not appreciated. Anyway, all I have is a black t-shirt on, and black pants."

" With chains. I know, you don't have piercings, never will, and thanks to fact you're living on every dime you don't have a tattoo.." The rabbit girl chimed in. "But still, sometimes it's a little hard to tell."

"Nyozeka." I said through gritted teeth. "This is far from gothic. Go hang out in X/1999 for awhile, and then you might get the idea."

I wasn't really a goth. I just liked black clothes.

"So anyway, standing at here talking is probably going to only succeed in giving us colds." Nyozeka opened her hand, closed it, and opened it again. In her hand laid the keys. She hastily opened the door and entered a room with two sleeping bags on the floor, one which had a teddy bear sitting on it, a table with a laptop on one end, a pile of books on the other. The teddy bear, named Shugo, was mine as well as the laptop, the rest belonged to Nyozeka, wait the sleeping bag was mine too, and the clock, and maybe-forget it.

"You know Kami, if you sold the laptop you could probably afford a tattoo." Nyozeka giggled.

"Ha ha. That thing's useful."

The bunny girl floated over to my face. "Well, um, I, um, How bad was your day?" She tugged at the magazine in my arms, " Can I see when you're done?"

"Yeah, I guess." I scratched the back of my head. " Besides locking myself out, hm, well Mr. Director Guy wasn't very friendly. We had to do the same boring scene over and over, because Brianna couldn't speak with a English accent. The way the practice went, by show-biz standards, that's going to be the best part in the whole show. I-" I paused to see Nyozeka fiddling with her hair. I had seen her do that only a few times (like when the first T.V. exploded), and usually that meant something bad.

Though trust on this, in stories like this, the characters aren't always this depressing. I've just had one hell of a day. So has the pink bunny. So try to hang in there?

"Your turn." I said, pointing at her.

"Well, um, well Mr. Gates is getting quite vocal about rasing the rent. I also got kicked out of the grocery store."

That was all? I expected worse. Though Mr. Gates was getting vocal was enough to send anyone in a panic.

No, he wasn't Bill Gates. He was his little brother, Bob Gates, runner of the foundation, his mood changing from a smiling man who'd give his last penny to charity, to a bitter one that would growl at anyone who just wanted a cup of milk.

Milk was expensive.

Getting kicked out of the grocery store wasn't too bad, I just had to go grocery shopping for awhile, until the ban was forgotten, which wasn't too bad.

I paused to think over all my few experiences.

Okay, maybe it was.

I looked up to Nyozeka, waiting for my reaction.

"That's all? Grocery store's not mu- not a problem at all, and Mr. Gates is always making those threats."

"It wasn't a threat." Nyozeka's ear slowly began to twitch. "I was bringing rent money, and I heard him talking on the phone. He sounded dead serious. He was screaming at the phone too, the immature man."

I slammed my hand down, hard on my sleeping bag. If the rent went up-we would be in serious trouble. Nyozeka and I could barely make it by as it is, with the rent as it was. If it even went up hundred dollars-that was not something I'd like to think about. Then again, Mr. Gates wasn't stupid. Hopefully he wouldn't raise it if it meant leaving some empty apartments. As it was, if we really rationed we might get by.

I took a deep breath, "He might not. If he does, I'm sure we could find some way to get by."

" Yeah. And the only thing we can do is go on. And stay cheerful." Nyozeka gave a small smile. "I'm going to put to put together a few sandwiches for a early supper."

" I'll have mustard on mine." A wry smile appeared on my face.

"We don't have mustard."

"Really. Damn" I smiled a little "I'll just stick with the a regular sandwich."

"One! Two! Three! Four! Good! Now touch your toes." Nyozeka leaned over to do so, a headband now under her pink hair. The weekly ritual of the exercise program. If Nyozeka wanted to follow this hobby, fine. The fact that I'd been dragged into it. Not good.

"Nyozeka, why do I have to do this?" I whined. I leaned over my hands scraping against my toes.

"To stay in shape. The other side now."

Anime characters get out of shape? As far as I get could they stayed nice and fit, and when did you see any of them exercising? The logic of the anime world made about as much sense as the English language.

"Really?"

"You never know. Might be useful someday. It can be that bad, can it?"

" My arms hurt."

"Some of the exercises are a little painful and you've only been at it for a few months. After a while it will become a little more comfortable."

Nyozeka went through more exercises and I followed, moaning a little.

"That's enough for today." She stood up, the band around her wrist sliding down til it touched her hand. I had one on my wrist too. Wearing it was a requirement in most areas unless you had a license.

It was a power restraint. It was used to hopefully keep characters from running through town using their powers as they pleased. Removal of such a bracelet was difficult, and doing so would result in heavy punishment. Jailtime, fines, and here, banishment from Animewood. A few people knew how to deactivate them for a small time, such as anime directors and most normal beings. (Otherwise how else did you expect the characters to use those big attacks?) It was a pity they all came in the same color, gray. I'd like a black one.

"Nyozeka, if you could color your band what color would you make it?"

Nyozeka floated up into my face. "Pink I guess. Hey, Kami."

"Hm?"

"Could I come watch you shoot tomorrow? I have got the day off and would like to see what it's like working for the anime you talk about it so much."

"Sure. Can't say it's going to be entertaining."

"I'll be there then." Nyozeka winked, then floated off in the direction of the kitchen. I stared out the window, remembering the first time I arrived here, hopes high.

Welcome to Animewood.


	2. Where is Bill Gates?

Author: I own my computer and Kami. That's all. This is AU.

_I've decided I'm going to stop being a dog and be a cat! I meant it. I really was crying-Tohru Honda Fruit's Basket _

Chapter 2

My eyes opened slowly to the ringing of an alarm clock. Nyozeka wasn't up? Odd. I stumbled into the kitchen, careful to avoid Nyozeka's sleeping body, and stuck a piece of bread into the toaster. The wires turned red for a second, then turned off suddenly. My inspection of the toaster kept me from seeing the little cardboard sign poking out of the toaster.

'We want a raise.'

Damn. The little green people who lived in toaster. You see, when Nyozeka and I were looking for objects to buy, we found a really nice one, not binged up, for the low price of five dollars. It had seemed cheap at the time.

" You get a dime a month! Isn't that enough? There isn't a shinier coin."

The sign remained. They were innocent looking folk, small and cute looking like little elves who made shoes, but stubborn as a mule and lacking in brains.

"You live in a toaster, dammit! What could you buy?"

The sign wavered a second and remained.

"Okay, I also give you protection."

Didn't move.

"In other words, if you don't take that sign, I'm going to dump you into the trashcan and buy a toaster that will cook my bread without holding a revolt!"

No go. I grabbed the toaster and gave it a violent shake. I reached to grabbed the toaster and throw it away, when the sign disappeared and the toaster heated up.

As I nibbled on the toast, Nyozeka came in, and stuck some bread in the toaster.

"It works?". She tilted her head in my direction, "Kami?"

"I had to threaten them, but it worked." I said in an absent-minded voice. Nyozeka's ears flattened against her head and she frowned.

"Really? You don't have to be mean. Usually, asking nicely will work, or flattering them. If worse comes to worse, you can tell them you'll give them one. Heck, they can't tell the difference."

"Oh. Doesn't that take more time though?"

" I really don't want to imagine you rasing kids."

" Who said I was going to have kids."

" Negativeness!"

I wolfed down the rest of the food.

"Just stating a fact." I mumbled through a mouthful of bread. Nyozeka gave me a rather disgusted look.. "Be ready to leave in half a hour." Nyozeka muttered something under her breath, probably unpublishable phrases.

While Nyozeka was busy eating, I sat on my blue sleeping bag and set up my laptop. I was greeted by a screen with a random anime picture.

I should probably change it if I had time.

The cursor moved toward the e-mail program. It came up, with no new messages.

"Dammit!"

It got irritating, having to wait a week for an e-mail, but three? A saying came to mind. 'You know, swearing at a computer is pointless. Is has no ears.' Though, it was good stress relief. So that was a reason, right?

"Hey Shugo. What do you think? I mean, if no one hears, what harm does it do? Though it is a waste of breath. Hm. What do you mean what if computer got ears? Hell, that would be creepy. Some things aren't meant to be." I glanced at the computer. " And computer developing feelings." The teddy bear looked at me with big black eyes. "He's either busy. Or forgot how to send an e-mail. The second ones..."

"About creepy." An amused smile came across Nyozeka's face. "You and the teddy bear do make an interesting pair."

"I think there's a law against marrying stuff animals though. That's why I've to do with a breathing male."

Nyozeka blinked. "Um, okay. You can't fight true love."

Landscape went by in blurs as the little car hurried down the road, swerving past cars.

" You have your driver's license, right?"

" Uh-huh."

"And-"

"Shut up for a second. I want to see if I can avoid a red light." I swerved the car toward the yellow light and just before I went through it changed. Cars honked behind me.

"I suppose not."

"Anyway, Kami. Did you read the driver's manual?"

" I paged through it."

"Um, I just remember a section. It says that 95 of the people on the road are idiots. I suppose there's major idiots, and even bigger idiots."

I'm not sure how that little trivial piece of knowledge worked, but okay. I turned off from the road onto the highway. Nyozeka's tiny hands were clinging to the side of car, her face pasty white. With one eye, I watched as her hand nervously crept over to radio which was turned on. The tune drifted into the car.

"I know this song!" I opened my mouth to sing, "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair..." I did think I was a good karkoker, and loved this song. Nyozeka joined in, "Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air..."

"Here we are!" I locked the car door as we stood out a building not quite big enough to scrape the sky, but close. Nyozeka nodded and followed me inside the building. Where we saw the director. It was a tired, thin man, with a balding head.

"Ready to become one with your script? Today's going to wonderful, I just know it!"

"Hello Mr. Bore." I said causally. "I brought someone with me." I gestured to Nyozeka..

"Good day. What is your name?" Mr Bore looked at the bunny girl.

"Nyozeka."

"Aw, Nyozaku." He held out a his hand. "J. E. Bore. Pleased to meet you."

Nyozeka shook it. "Same here. It's Nyozeka."

"Nyazeke. Okay. You make me think of the perfect image of a bunny locked into his cage."

A large sweatdrop appeared on the side of Nyozeka's face.

"Now Kami, go get dressed for your scene. Don't worry about your friend; she'll be taken care of."

Yep. She can kick really hard with those feet if she gets threatened. Or I think so. Her feet are huge, so they should be able to do quite a bit of damage.

So the fun getting prepared again. First came getting dressed in my outfit, a white tanktop, and midriff jeans. I wonder what the importance about females and midriffs were? Ah, one of the great mysteries about life and the T.V. world. Next was the studio in a women, who swear, was a parrot once upon her time. The brightly colored clothes she tended to wear didn't help, with long dangly necklaces. Today's choice of wear was a shade of pink that seemed to be combined with brown, with something on the side. A flower? Looked like a long-dead piece of roadkill. Like the majority of anime women, she was skinny and well-endowed. She began to brush out my hair, and strands of the midnight blue stuff began to fall in my face.

"Now I said to him, Now deeaaarrr I love the point where she sings that note in opera. Did I say I like opera? I'll say it again." Ms Hazel went through her date last night while rubbing dandruff-be-gone in my hair. At least I think so. Comments quickly became completely random as my hair was made to look long and fluffy and make-up was applied. "The Romans thought that the loss of a head was a symbol of...oh, you're all ready to go. Now go on, and tomorrow I'll tell you about the relationship between the Romans and that human women Oprea."

Finally came Mr. Bore, standing right by the set.

" Ready to be a brit?" He placed his hand on my bracelet. There was a sensation of needles in my arm and I close my eyes. Easier to handle. And then, it was over, and the bracelet slid down to my hand, appearing to not have changed. I felt a little different. Like a burden had been lifted. It wasn't a burden, though, and I knew it. Just for a short time my powers were no longer restrained.

The set looked like a house, and sitting on one of the beds was a girl with neck length blond hair, eyes three-fourths of her face, and a nose no bigger then a pixel.

"Kami!" She shouted in a british accent, and ran over to give me a big hug. It seemed Brianna had been practicing. She had on a plain pink dress, nothing special, but it worked for her role. She loved to hug people, regardless of their feelings about it, so best to do was go along with it. Hell, hugs weren't too bad.

"Um, hi?"

"Okay you two! Let's wait for the others to finish." Mr. Bore shouted.

"Where's Nyozkea."

"Restroom."

Oh.

I thought the anime I was in was a good one. Truth. Lies. Betrayals. Miracles. True Love. Sword fights. Deaths. Life. Roses. Big breasted girls. Pretty Boys. Plenty of Shonen-ai. A plot of some sort about a modern day boy who's a pirate in his free time, and works to juggle that the life on real life, while learning about his past...it goes on for awhile. I was just the main characters sister.

"Um, Brianna? You can let go anytime soon."

"Oh." She let her arms fall away. "Okay!" She was silent for a second then scream again as another figure appeared on the set. "Rikuo!" The man, who had long midnight hair waved. Another man with mint green hair scuttled past, and promptly fell on his face.

"Sorryi'mlate!" He shouted, then brought himself up from the ground, then pushed his glasses up his nose, the type of nose that was constantly sliding them down to the end.

"You're fine Kirim."

A dirty blond man followed, and crossed his arms.

Main male actors. Yay.

"Okay, let's go."

"This should be interesting. Very." Nyozeka floated into the room, a couple feet off the ground. "I thought you didn't like that type of clothes."

I growled at Nyozeka. That was true. It was also true that it was part of my job, like it or not.

"Wait. I'd like you all to meet Nyuzazka." Mr Bore announced. "She's going to watch us perform today. A friend of Kami's."

Brianna waved her hand, a big grin glued to her face. Rikuo nodded. Kirim smiled. The blond, Duckie, shrugged.

"I would like to know, how can you float if your under that spell?"" He curled his lip, " or are a vagabond criminal."

Nyozeka's ears twitched. "I'm can only float up to six feet." She shrunk away, ears still twitching. Duckie smirked.

" So much more special then you, isn't she, rubber duckie?" His face burned. Duckie hated that. He hated it that he wasn't given an anime name. He hated rubber duckie even more.

"Shut up, all of you!" Rikuo shouted. " This is getting us nowhere. Duckie, that's rude. Kami, that's pathetic. Now..."

Mr Bore quickly cut him off, "Perfect. I was about to say the same thing. Now back on topic, remember, in dreamworld, you have been caught in a Britain sphere, and forced to speak with English accents. Brianna, get ready. Cameras, roll! Take 30."

All of the other characters went through the scene, well practiced yesterday. My purpose, was to following them around, seeming pissed.

Brianna spoke, slowly and fluently. " I believe this is where the girl was last seen." The accent came out well. "But, curfew is nearing. We must return for the night."

"That's a cut! Okay next scene. It's the next day. Everyone investigating the area and murmuring among themselves. No one else is around. Kami you are off in the corner. You are annoyed and frustrated when you spot something in the darkness, and turn around to see two eyes staring at you, kay."

I nodded. "Let's roll."

Act angry. Quite easy. Eyes shift, Whirl around, see the eyes.

"Ah! Someone save me. It's a beast and it's going to kill me!" I screamed in my best high-pitched voice.

"Stop! Kami, English accent. Let's practice."

I saw Nyozeka in the corner, her hands covering her mouth, shoulders shaking. Giggling. Well, a English high pitched voice couldn't be hard. I'd prove it."

" Ah! Someone save me. It's a beast and it's going to kill me!" I screamed.

" Kami, that's more American."

Soft laughs could be heard in Nyozeka's direction.

" Ah-"

"No." Nyozeka a was laughing loudly.

Grr. I wasn't a fool. I could do it. I could be a screaming school girl. Maybe not this second. I grinned.

"Ah, someone get over here so I can kill this monster and leave a murder mystery for Sherlock Holmes and Detective Conon!"

Mr Bore got the oddest look on his face that caused the rest of cast to start to giggle. Nyozeka was rolling on the ground laughing.

"Now that's more like Kami!"

"Well, um, Kami there was the accent but wrong line." Mr Bore said slowly, one eye twitching.

"Ah, save me. A beast is going to kill me!"

"Yes, that right. Let's continue."

"I'm glad to be going home. Lay down and have a big cup of hot chocolate. How was that Nyozeka?" In all, it had been enjoyable work day.

"Interesting. I think your anime could go far. You also do posses a pinch a talent, if you really worked at it."

I wish. The only talent I had being pretty. I wanted to be an actress, even if my drama teachers had told me I was worthless in a movie. I loved acting, regardless. But I wasn't talented. Every little bit I had was from hard work, not the talent.

I was silent.

" I didn't know you had it. Though I'm not sure if the screaming school girl-"

"Nyozeka, don't lie." I said I swerved around a car, nearly missing the bumper. I the mirror, I saw the man made a rude gesture.

"I'm not." She sighed. "Though Mr. Bore. I got called Nyiziki. That's bad."

"The life of a long anime name. Though Duckie, he's curious and rude."

Nyozeka shrugged. "Ah. He only bugged me a second."

My hand moved toward the radio. "That's good." I was at least good at singing.

" Guitar man playing all night long, take me back to where the music hit me, when life was good and love..."

Nyozeka poked me. "You are a good actor, but your karaoke skills need work."

-I didn't do my research. ;-; I'm not quite how a movie studio operates, so I'm guessing. When I go to the libery I will look into it and edit this. Stories do require a lot of editing, so no big deal right now. Yes there are more actors, but they aren't needed on the set.

A/N Sorry people! My mom messed up things a little on the computer so the first draft came up!


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